A "large amount" of Russian military equipment vanished from the Syrian port of Tartus with the departure of the Russian cargo ship Sparta II, an investigative journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,

The Russian cargo ships Sparta and Sparta II have begun transporting military equipment out of the Syrian port of Tartus, Russia’s only naval base in the Mediterranean Sea, satellite images published by journalist Mark Krutov show.

A delegation from the Russian Foreign Ministry travelled to Damascus for talks with Syria's new leaders on Tuesday for the first time since the fall of long-time ruler and Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad.

Russia is facing difficulties in maintaining its two military bases in Syria, which have been instrumental in extending its influence in the Middle East and Africa, according to an anonymous source in Moscow.

The images confirm the withdrawal of Russian military equipment from Tartus port. They show the loading of military equipment onto the cargo ships Sparta and Sparta II, operated by the logistical arm of Russia’s Defense Ministry.